Black Belt Eagle Scout Carve Up Crisp Natural Atmospheric Originals On ‘The Land, The Water, The Sky’ (ALBUM REVIEW)

Dreamy vocals and layers of fuzzed-up strings are the cornerstones of the newest release from Black Belt Eagle Scout on Saddle Creek Records titled The Land, The Water, The Sky.

The album was a personal journey for Katherine Paul (who performs as Black Belt Eagle Scout) as she journeyed from Portland to record at Anacortes Unknown Recording Studio in Coast Salish Territory (Anacortes, WA), which is her ancestral homeland. Pristine, crisp sounds ring out throughout as the album was written, composed, and recorded by Paul. 

She did have some help though, on the affecting track “Spaces” both her parents contribute vocally, her mother with a soft tone and her father with a strong Pow Wow voice. “Spaces” is one of the gentler outings here with violin strings and sweeping vistas, however, Paul is much more immersed in shoegaze-based dream-pop throughout The Land, The Water, The Sky.

Opener “My Blood Runs Through This Land” sets that tone with layers upon layers of breathy vocals, noisy guitars, and rolling thunder drums; at times the album plays like a restrained My Bloody Valentine. The constant strumming rumbling and buzzing floats through “Sedna” and “Nobody” as Paul ‘oh and ah’s’ around the gentle floating noise rock. One of the more interesting parts of the album is while the journey to write and record these songs was immensely personal, the lyrics are mostly generic and regulated to the background as Paul’s vocal flutters are more the centerpiece.

Two songs where the lyrics are front and center are the acoustic dueting, nature-focused “Salmon Stinta” and closer “Don’t Give Up”, a strongly defiant 90’s alt-rock jam that repeats the song and the album titles repeatedly. Less successful is the ominous “Treeline” which mixes up the sound and style but runs long, dulling its impact.   

A few highlights are the punkish swirling of “Fancy Dance” and the superb “Blue” which builds with rumbling drums, gorgeously swelling with strings, electric guitar, woo-hoo’s and large orchestration. The triumphant tune is the centerpiece of the heartfelt The Land, The Water, The Sky from Black Belt Eagle Scout.

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One Response

  1. One of the more interesting parts of the album is while the journey to write and record these songs was immensely personal, the lyrics are mostly generic and regulated to the background as Paul’s vocal flutters are more the centerpiece.

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